Growing their own: Jayhawk students use hydroponic towers to grow lettuce for the lunchroom

Sixth-grade students at Jayhawk Elementary School have been growing their own lettuce this year using hydroponic methods. This photo was taken on Sept. 25, shortly before the lettuce was harvested. (Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims

rsims@linncountyjournal.com

Students at the Jayhawk USD 346 have been growing what they eat this year using five hydroponic towers the district received as a grant. The first batch of leaf lettuce varieties grown at Jayhawk Elementary School, Romaine and Buttercrisp, were planted early in the school year and were harvested in late September.

Each variety at JES yielded about five pounds. The towers there are located in the lunchroom, so all of the students in the school can see the crops' progression each day.

District food service director Wendi Baldwin said she applied for the grant during the 2024-25 school year and was notified the district received the grant last February.

"These are hydroponic towers that do not require any dirt or pesticides," Baldwin said. "They only require water, LED light, and nutrients.

"The process of growing produce is putting seeds into a seeding pot that has been soaked in water 24 hours and then in a net pod. The tank is 40 liters that we fill with water and add nutrients and adjust the pH up or down if needed.

She said the seeds were started the last week of August. She said the plants are fairly easy to maintain and grow. The students do check the pH (acidity and alkalinity) of the water regularly to make sure it is within tolerances.

"We look forward in the future to grow more lettuce and maybe some strawberries and blueberries." Baldwin said, adding that the sixth-grade had already started new seeds as the mature plants were harvested.

The hydroponic towers are part of a multiple-pronged approach the district takes toward using local producers in its farm-to-table programs. For the second year, the district is purchasing beef from local producers and fresh vegetables from Rocky Suns Farm.